Banoffee Tart

Banana and toffee, or more commonly known banoffee pie, has been a favourite of mine since the days of going to Lonestar to order their wicked banoffee. I discovered their caramel was made by boiling tins of sweetened condensed milk for three hours, then simply pouring it in. 
This version also uses sweetened condensed milk, but mixed in a saucepan with butter and golden syrup. Just make sure to keep stirring and watch the pot. Burnt or split caramel is not an ideal situation. Other than a bit of TLC this tart is straight-forward, but as always, sure to impress a crowd. 

Ingredients (serves 8-12) 

Pastry:

• 1 3/4 cups of plain flour
• 1/4 cup of icing sugar 
• 180 grams cold butter, diced
• 1 egg yolk (reserve white for brushing) 
• 3 tbsp chilled water
• greaseproof paper
• baking beads or rice 

Filling:

• 2 bananas 
• juice of 1 lemon
• 400g tin of sweetened condensed milk 
• 50 grams butter
• 2 tbsp golden syrup

Topping:

•  200 mL cream, whipped
• 100g mascarpone 

Step 1: Make Pastry

Sieve flour and icing sugar together. Put into your food processor with the diced butter and pulse for a few minutes till all of the butter is mixed in and it becomes a breadcrumb texture. 

Next add the egg yolk and chilled water. Pulse again. When it begins to come together, tip out onto a lightly floured board and lightly knead until you have a smooth dough. 

Flatten into a 15cm disc. Cover in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Pastry is much easier to work with when it is cold. 

Step 2: Bake Pastry 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Grease a 30cm loose-based fluted tart tin with butter. 

Remove pastry from the fridge and roll out on a piece of greaseproof paper large enough to fit the tart tin. 

Gently lay the pastry over the tin and press into the edges. Use the rolling pin to roll across the top of the tin to cut off any excess pastry. 

Place the greaseproof paper over the pastry and fill the tin with baking beads or uncooked rice (less than a kilo of rice will fill it - reserve the rice afterwards for using again the next time you bake pastry). This holds the pastry in place and stops it both puffing up and from sinking down the sides. 
Chill again for 10 minutes. 

Place in the hot oven and bake for 15 minutes. 

Remove tart from oven and take off the baking paper and rice. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes to finish cooking through. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool. 

Step 3: Make Caramel
Slice bananas on a diagonal and place in a bowl with lemon juice. Toss gently to cover. 
Set aside while you prepare the caramel. 
To make the caramel, place sweetened condensed milk, butter and golden syrup into a heavy saucepan on a low heat. Stir constantly for 10 - 15 minutes till the caramel starts thicken and the colour darkens slightly, you'll also notice a delicious caramel aroma. 
Work quickly to fill your pastry base. 

Step 4: Fill the Base
Spoon a small amount of caramel into the tart base, and spread to cover the base with the back of a spoon. 
Drain bananas and arrange in a single layer over the caramel base. Pour remaining caramel and gently spread to cover evenly. Allow to cool completely before putting on the cream topping. 

Lightly whip the cream to form soft peaks. Beat, then fold in the mascarpone. Then dollop the cream mixture over the cooled caramel and spread evenly. Finally grate a little chocolate over the top. Chill, and remove from the fridge about 20 minutes before devouring. 

Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 or 12 pieces.